Modular ear-piece/microphone (headset) operable to service voice activated commands

• US 8,116,823 B2
• Filed: 12/24/2008
• Issued: 02/14/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/03/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies International Sales Pte Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Broadcom Corporation (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Seshadri, Nambirajan, Bennett, James D., Karaoguz, Jeyhan
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, Thanh
• Application Number:
  US12/343,846
• Publication Number:
  US 20090104940A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,147 Days
• Field of Search: 455/41.1, 455/41.2, 455/563, 455/566, 455/569, 455/570, 455/575.1, 455/575.2, 379/426.01, 379/433.01
• US Class Current: 455/563
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/05 specially adapted for use on head, throat or breast
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6033 for providing handsfree use or a loudspeaker mode in telephone sets arrangements for preventing acoustic echo H04M9/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6066 including a wireless connection
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/725 Cordless telephones user interfaces specially adapted therefor H04M1/724
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72502 with one base station connected to a single line

Abstract

The present invention provides a modular headset operable to support both voice communications and voice activated commands. This may involve the use of multiple voice CODECs to process voice communications and voice activated commands. The modular headset includes both a microphone and wireless earpiece. The earpiece may further include an interface, a processing circuit, a speaker, a user interface, a pairing circuit, and a registration circuit. The interface allows the earpiece to communicate with the base unit that couples the modular headset to a servicing network. This coupling to the servicing network and base unit only occurs when the headset is successfully registered to the base unit. The pairing circuit and registration circuit allow the exchange of pairing or registration information between various components. The pairing circuit allows the wireless earpiece and microphone to exchange pairing information which is then compared to determine whether or not a successful pairing can be achieved. Analog to digital converts (ADCs), which may be located within either the microphone or earpiece are operable to process the transduced voice communications in accordance with either a voice CODEC or voice recognition CODEC depending on the selected mode of operation.

Claims

1. A modular wireless headset operable to support voice communications over at least one servicing network, the modular wireless headset comprising:

transceiver circuitry operable to receive and transmit Radio Frequency (RF) signals;

signal conversion circuitry coupled to the transceiver circuitry operable to convert incoming RF signals to incoming audio signals and to convert outgoing audio signals to outgoing RF signals;

a speaker coupled to the signal conversion circuitry that is operable to render the incoming audio signals audible;

a microphone coupled to the signal conversion circuitry that is operable to produce the outgoing audio signals;

voice recognition circuitry coupled to at least the signal conversion circuitry and operable to produce command signals when the modular wireless headset operates in a voice command mode; and

processing circuitry coupled to at least the voice recognition circuitry and operable to receive and process the command signals.

2. The modular wireless headset of claim 1, wherein the voice command mode is selected to process user voice commands based upon user input.

3. The modular wireless headset of claim 2, further comprising a button coupled to at least the processing circuitry that is operable to receive the user input.

4. The modular wireless headset of claim 3, wherein the command signals initiate call waiting functions.

5. The modular wireless headset of claim 1, further comprising at least one housing that contains the transceiver circuitry, the signal conversion circuitry, the speaker, the microphone, the voice recognition circuitry, and the processing circuitry.

6. The modular wireless headset of claim 1, wherein the command signals initiate at least one function selected from a group consisting of:

network interface functions;

base unit interface functions;

directory functions;

caller ID functions;

voice activated commands;

call waiting functions;

call conferencing functions;

call initiation functions; and

device programming functions.

7. The modular headset of claim 1, wherein the user voice commands are operable to validate and/or authenticate a servicing network.

8. A method for servicing voice communications by a wireless headset comprising:

a Radio Frequency (RF) transceiver receiving inbound RF signals from a base unit, wherein the inbound RF signals contain inbound digital voice communications;

signal conversion circuitry converting the inbound digital voice communications into inbound analog voice communications;

a speaker rendering the inbound analog voice communications audible;

a microphone capturing user voice commands;

voice recognition circuitry processing the user voice commands to produce digital commands;

processing circuitry initiating wireless headset commands based on the digital commands;

the microphone producing outbound analog voice communications;

the signal conversion circuitry converting the outbound analog voice communications into outbound digital voice communications; and

the RF transceiver transmitting the outbound digital voice communications to the base unit.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising the RF transceiver coupling the wireless headset to a servicing network selected from a group consisting of:

cellular network;

public switched telephone network (PSTN);

wide area network (WAN);

local area network (LAN); and

a wireless local area network (WLAN).

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising the RF transceiver switching servicing networks while servicing a voice communication.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the wireless headset commands comprise at least one function selected from a group consisting of:

network interface functions;

base unit interface functions;

directory functions;

caller ID functions;

voice activated commands;

call waiting functions;

call conferencing functions;

call initiation functions; and

device programming functions.

12. The method of claim 8, further comprising a tactile interface initiating a voice command mode based upon user input.